04. Wastewater Detection of SARA-Cov-2

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SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted up to five days before a positive test or onset of symptoms, in addition, asymptomatic individuals that go untested can transmit SARS CoV-2 as well, causing an inaccurate measure of positivity in the community. Already being used successfully in Spain, Italy, and Sub-Saharan Africa to analyze and mitigate spread of the virus, Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) allows for the detection of pathogens in samples collected from wastewater samples regardless of symptoms. WBE can give real-time insights into the prevalence of SARS-COV-2 in a population, as it samples from an entire community and does not rely on individual testing. Testing and monitoring the city of Ruston’s wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 RNA will provide a more accurate count of positive cases present across the population and possibly allow health care providers to mitigate the spread. Samples are pulled over a 24-hour period and examined using quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) to detect viral genome units for genes that encode two nucleocapsid proteins in SARS-CoV-2, N1 and N2. We have observed increases in viral RNA at specific points throughout the pandemic, largely consistent with positive case statistics. We continue to monitor wastewater in the city of Ruston and at specific locations on campus to determine efficacy in individual testing, reporting, and determine if results may be used to predict future surges and work to effectively prevent the further spread of COVID-19. WBE could allow researchers to predict and prevent viral outbreaks in order to avoid a pandemic in the future.